🧊 Meal Prep
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Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup (Vegan)

Source: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-autumn-wild-rice-soup/ Serves 8 · Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min

❄️ FREEZE STAGE: Cooked base — WITHOUT the coconut milk & kale

  • Why: Add the creamy element and greens fresh — coconut milk can separate a little when frozen (a stir fixes it) and kale goes slimy. Wild rice freezes well (sturdier than white rice), so it stays in the base.
  • How: Cook the base (rice cooked), skip the coconut milk and kale. Cool, freeze up to 3 months.
  • 📦 Pack it: Chill in the fridge first, then portion into meal sizes (Souper Cubes or silicone molds for small amounts, or freezer bags). Leave ~1 inch headspace in tubs / fill bags ¾ full — liquids expand as they freeze. Press out the air, freeze bags flat on a tray, then stand them upright once solid to stack and thaw faster. Label with name, date, and the reheat note.
  • Reheat: Warm to a simmer, stir in the coconut milk and kale, and heat until the kale wilts. It thickens as it sits — loosen with a splash of broth.

Allergens: no nuts, sesame, or chickpea. ✅ Fully vegan (coconut milk + vegetable stock) and naturally gluten-free. Uses coconut (fine for your household).

Ingredients

  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice
  • 8 oz baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 large (~1 lb) sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1½ tbsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (add at reheat)
  • 2 large handfuls kale, roughly chopped, thick stems removed (add at reheat)
  • Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method — Instant Pot

  1. Combine the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf, and Old Bay in the Instant Pot. Stir briefly.
  2. Cover and Pressure Cook (Manual, HIGH) for 25 min. Natural release 10 min, then quick-release the rest. Remove lid, discard the bay leaf. ← Freeze the base here if make-ahead (no coconut milk/kale yet).
  3. Stir in the coconut milk and kale until combined and the kale wilts. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and extra Old Bay if desired.

Method — Stovetop

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil (or butter) in a large pot over medium-high. Sauté the onion 5 min until soft; add garlic and cook 1–2 min until fragrant.
  2. Add the stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf, and Old Bay. Stir.
  3. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30–40 min until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally. ← Freeze the base here if make-ahead.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk and kale until the kale wilts. Season to taste.

Notes

  • 100% wild rice here; blends cook faster — check the package.
  • Skip the slow cooker (the source notes it's too inconsistent for this one). You've got the Instant Pot anyway.

Storage

  • Fridge: up to 4 days (thickens as it sits — add broth).
  • Freezer: base only (no coconut milk/kale), up to 3 months (see freeze box).